


A Cup Of Tea And A Conversation

by Rosemarycat5



Category: Original Work
Genre: Found Family, Friends Discussing Treason Over Tea, Gangs, Gen, Tea, mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:08:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosemarycat5/pseuds/Rosemarycat5
Summary: After five years, two friends see each other again and have tea. Alfonso, former rising star of the mafia turned traitor, and Jax, the one sent after him.
Relationships: Alfonso & Jax, Ex-Mafia Member & Bounty Hunter Sent After Him, Failed chosen one & new chosen one, Original Male Character & Original Male Character
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5
Collections: Gen Freeform Exchange2020





	A Cup Of Tea And A Conversation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nununununu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/gifts).



Presently--

For the first time in too many years, two men made eye contact through the dirty glass window of a familiar cafe. Jax froze in his place behind the register. Alfonso walked calmly to the door, only looking away to enter. Once inside, he strode to the empty table by the corner window, the one with the stained glass, like he had sat there only yesterday.

“Everybody, take your drinks and get out. We’re closing a little early today,” Jax said, moving finally from his position.

His coworker put a hand on his shoulder. “You sure you got this?”

Jax nodded and put his hand under the counter, wrapping his fingers around the cold handle of a gun. “I’m the chosen one, remember.”

His coworker gave a faint smirk and went about kicking everyone out of the shop.

Now composed, Jax placed the gun into his holster and calmly prepared two identical cups of tea. He walked over to the table bathed in multicolored light and set the teas down. He sat in the chair opposite Alfonso. Pulling out the gun under the table and pointing it across from him, he said, “Long time, Alfonso.”

Alfonso smiled, unfazed by the weapon, and swirled his tea. “Did you add enough honey?”

“I always do.”

“Ha! You never do.” Alfonso sipped his tea and shook his head. He picked up a bottle of honey from the table and drizzled it into the cup.

A small smile formed on Jax’s lips, but his aim did not waiver.

Thirteen Years Prior--

Two boys of about twelve years entered a then-unfamiliar coffee shop quietly. Despite their subtle entrance, they stood out against the crowd of rough-looking men and women, who each had a bulge where a weapon might be concealed. One of the boys went up to the counter and ordered two teas with honey. The names written on the cups were Alfonso and Jax. He handed the cup called Jax to the other boy, who had found an empty table by the corner window. Jax was staring at how the light glittered colorfully across the ripples in the tea.

The boys did not talk much, and what they said has been lost to memory. After a while, they stood and took their drinks to the counter. Alfonso stood off to the side while Jax spoke to the barista, a tall man with a menacing scar and kind eyes.

“Excuse me, sir, do you have a job application I could fill out?”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, sure, kid. You look about sixteen,” he said, amused. He pulled out some papers and began to show Jax what to fill out. Meanwhile, Alfonso took the opportunity to attempt to lift the money from the cash register. His eyes darted between the twenties he was carefully placing into his jacket pocket and the threatening people milling about the cafe.

“Not bad, kid, but you could do better than that.” A hand clapped Alfonso on the back, startling him into spilling his remaining tea onto the remaining money. He spun to face the scar-faced man with kind eyes standing where he hadn’t been only a moment before. He glanced back at Jax, who looked just as surprised.

Still amused, the man said,”I think both of you should fill out applications. I think you’ll find that this is the place you were meant to work.” He placed a second set of forms down on the counter in front of the stunned boy. “You could even find a home here.”

Presently--

Alfonso took another drink from the steaming cup and glanced up at Jax. “Well, don’t hold back on my account. You made yourself a cup for a reason.” He gestured at Jax’s untouched cup of tea.

Jax rolled his eyes, but he took a drink. He frowned a bit at the taste.

“See?” Alfonso said, ”I told you it wasn’t enough goddamn honey.” He reached over and drizzled in more.

Jax looked Alfonso in the eye. “You know what I have to do, right? You’re not just coming in here and acting like nothing happened?” His voice carried a sadness, a concern.

Alfonso sighed. “No. Well, I do know what you’ve been assigned. I assumed you'd be Red’s chosen one after I … left.”

“Is that how you’re referring to what happened? You ‘left’? We both know what happened. You don’t have to sugarcoat it.”

“Do you? Know what happened, I mean.” Alfonso broke the intense eye contact to meet the eyes of the less emotionally charged cup of tea.

Thirteen Years Prior--

“Well, I think that a cardboard box isn’t fit for two employees of this establishment.” Red, the man with the scar and kind eyes, showed Alfonso and Jax to a small bedroom in one of the apartments located above the cafe.

The boys looked around with wonder mixed with a fair amount of skepticism.

“I mean, you’re welcome to stay in your refrigerator box if it seems more comfortable,” Red’s tone changed a bit then, “But seriously, we own the building; there’s no need for you to pay rent. As long as you choose to stay, you will have a bed here and a job downstairs.”

“Unless you screw it up wildly. Or--” a chuckle, ”--you’re too good at it. Isn’t that right, Red?” A tall man wearing a white sports jacket and grey tie swept into the room and, despite his joking demeanor, seemed to be sizing up the two boys. “Taking in more strays, are we?”

“I wouldn’t call us strays, sir,” Jax interjected, “more like survivors.” He put a hand on Alfonso’s shoulder, who appeared to be sizing up the man with equal calculation.

Red smiled. “Boys, this is Silver, although he will probably have you refer to him as ‘Lieutenant.’ I may be the boss, but he gives most of the orders. He manages the downstairs business, as well as many of our other assets. He can teach you a lot if he decides you're worth it.”

Alfonso seemed to reach a conclusion. “We are,” he said.

Silver smiled.

The next day, the pair were put to work in the coffee shop. Alfonso was shown how to work the cash register, an irony that was not lost on Red, who was doing the showing. Jax was put to work greeting customers and making their drinks. Both took to their jobs quickly. Customers liked how polite Jax was and Alfonso never miscalculated change and usually had it ready before the machine could tell him how much to give someone.

Over the next days, they were moved around to different jobs. By the point where they were bussing tables, nobody questioned them when they decided to station a jar of honey on every table next to the napkins.

They also got to meet some of the other workers. They were all older than the boys, with the youngest looking sixteen or seventeen. They were all very amiable.

“How can you not like coffee if you work in a coffee shop?” one of them--Cyan--said.

“It’s so bitter!” Jax wrinkled his nose.

“Vile! Unfit for human consumption!” Alfonso said dramatically. “We will stick to tea, thank you very much.”

They laughed.

In the background of this introduction to Cafe Chrome, Silver was always watching and studying. He rarely came and had coffee in the main room, but he often had meetings in his side office. The appearance of those he met with ranged from businessman to street thug. His manner with them was always warm but formal, his demeanor suggesting the ideal friend with whom to become a business partner.

After several weeks, Silver reached a decision on the two boys: they were a good investment. He taught them things from simple sleight of hand to how to make a customer buy twice as much as they had planned, all while thinking it was their own idea. He tended to show Alfonso more complex techniques, but he got along better with Jax.

While Silver and Jax grew closer, Alfonso grew closer to Red, who taught the boys other tricks of the trade.

But Alfonso and Jax stayed as close as ever. Every shift, they would trade jokes with only a look, which could provide anything from a small smile to a laughing fit. Every night, they would talk for hours trading stories or simply speaking aloud whatever had been on their minds that day. Neither boy was particularly talkative when others were around, but in the dark safety of their room, where no one could hear them and no dialogue could be transcribed, they would speak to their heart's content.

Presently--

Jax frowned. “Yes. I do. You… Well, I suppose ‘left’ is a way to describe what happened. You _left_ the Chrome, you _left_ the lieutenant to the wolves, you _left_ Red, you _left_ …”

“I left you. Right? I did that. But even though I’ve hated not being with you, I can’t quite bring myself to regret what I did.” Alfonso refused to lift his gaze.

“You don’t regret it? Did you ever think that that’s why you’ve been marked? Why the best men have been sent after you? You betrayed us and put us all at risk with what you did. I just don’t understand how you can not regret betraying your family.”

“If I didn’t, I would have lost you. I left, so that I wouldn’t lose you. Nothing I’ve done has been less than calculated. You have to understand that.”

“What are you talking about? _I_ was not going anywhere.”

Alfonso looked up. “The lieutenant was going to have you killed.” His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed his emotions. They pleaded with Jax to understand.

“He what?” For the first time, Jax was caught off guard, and his voice raised.

“He gave me an assignment, and … it was going to end with you dead. If it was a test of loyalty, I guess I failed, right?” He let out a half-hearted laugh. The strained attempt at humor was dropped. “I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you. But I guess I also couldn't handle living without you. So, I came back. I knew you’d track me down--you’re almost as good as me at tracking--but I figured a familiar table and a cup of tea might be nicer.” He offered a weak smile and gestured at the table, his hand passing through the rainbow of light produced by the stained glass window.

Jax studied his face, and his own expression softened a bit. “It is pretty nice.” He drew up the gun, looked at it a second, and placed it into its holster. “I’ve missed this, too.” He picked up his cup of tea and held it up. Afonso was surprised for a moment before picking his own cup and clinking glasses.

Five Years Prior--

Silver stood outside the cafe waiting for someone. Alfonso, now twenty, met him there bringing a cup of coffee for him. Silver accepted the offering,

“You have a new assignment for me?” Alfonso asked.

The lieutenant offered what appeared to be a friendly smile. “Yes. As you are now officially Red’s new chosen one, you get to be assigned the more difficult tasks.” Though a statement, his words felt like a question.

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Unfortunately, this task is not overly difficult and will not challenge your skills. I could have any of the others do it if I pleased. We have been hired by some of our closest business associates to deal with a certain individual.” Silver produced a slip of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it over. Alfonso looked at it, memorizing its contents. “The individual is going to be working as a security guard at that address from 3 pm to 5 pm today. As you know, your weapon should be returned to me when you are finished.” He took a sip of his coffee and walked into the building to his office. In his hand was the slip of paper, though it had not been returned to him.

In his office, Silver summoned Jax to give him an easy assignment. He explained that a wealthy associate was worried about a threat and wanted protection. He handed him a slip of paper with the address.

At 2:58 pm, Alfonso stood in the window facing a large penthouse with a tall, burly man in front. He could feel the seconds tick. Each move he made was timed carefully. The easiest time to strike was when the new guard first came. And so he came. Alfonso prepared his weapon and looked down at who he would be shooting, his finger on the trigger. Then he froze. The figure standing there was Jax.

Alfonso never considered that it might be a mistake; Silver did not make mistakes. And he could not spare Jax on his own. Silver had anticipated his reaction, going so far as to tell him, “I could have any of the others do it if I pleased.” Though nothing explicit had been stated, it was clear that Jax could not be warned. Alfonso weighed his options carefully, and reached a decision.

No bullets rang out that afternoon. But a different kind of shot was fired as a man walked up to the desk of a police station. He offered to bring them a known criminal with an illegal rifle in his hands. He followed through on his promise.

When Alfonso returned in the evening, the Chrome was in an uproar. He quietly slipped up to the apartments. As he went to enter his room, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Jax.

“Hey. Where have you been? Everything has been crazy here. The lieutenant has been taken by the police. People have been saying that you did it, but that obviously isn’t true--”

“It is.”

“What?”

“I turned the lieutenant in to the police.”

“What? How could you--”

Alfonso did not let him finish. He broke away from Jax, entered the room, and began to collect his things.

“I’m going to go into witness protection since I doubt the Chrome wants a traitor working for them.”

“Alfonso…”

Alfonso turned away and walked out of the room towards the stairs. He paused. “Just… watch yourself, OK?”

Jax was too stunned to answer, and Alfonso left the building.

Presently--

Jax smiled. “So what was it like in witness protection?”

Alfonso grimaced jokingly. “My name was Grayson.”

“That does sound pretty bad.”

“It gets worse. I lived in Iowa.”

“I understand why you were willing to risk getting murdered coming back here.”

He grinned. “So, what was it like while I was gone?”

The jovial tone was dropped mostly. “Well, the lieutenant obviously didn’t say anything that would jeopardize his investments, and the Chrome has enough guards inside to guarantee that sentiment. Red’s been, well, Red I guess, but he’s been a bit more distant, you know. More wary.”

“Do you think he’d ever let me come back, or would he just introduce me to his collection of firearms?”

“I’m inclined to say firearms, but honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t think he ever would have expected betrayal from you. But I also think he believes that nobody is beyond help.”

“Hm.”

“I would be willing to vouch for you, if it came to that. Besides, I have to bring you to Red anyway. I am the chosen one.”

“And I suppose I am your bounty.”

“Shall we finish our tea?”

“Let’s”

Afterword--

Jax led Alfonso back into the cafe’s kitchen to the walk-in fridge. It was not on, nor had it ever been turned on. Jax opened it and went inside. Red was there, cleaning one of the guns in his massive collection; this was his office after all.

“Yeah, kid?”

“I’ve retrieved my bounty.”

Red stiffened a bit but continued to clean his gun. “Oh? Where are you storing him?”

“I’m here.” Alfonso stepped into the office.

Red picked up the gun and pointed it directly at Alfonso’s head. Then he chuckled and put it down on the table. “It’s good to see you. Do not mistake me. We will be having a conversation. But in the meantime, I assume you’ll be staying in Jax’s room?”

Alfonso stepped back a bit, looked at Red’s face then Jax’s. “Yes. I would like that.”

And that night, for the first time in five years, as though no time had passed, two young men, brothers in bond if not in blood, spent hours on end talking about everything.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was really fun to write! Now I just need a full animation studio to make it into a film, so you can see how it looks in my head.   
> This was inspired by the prompts "Failed chosen one & New chosen one", "Ex-Mafia Member & Bounty Hunter Sent After Him/Her (OW)", and "Friends Discussing Treason Over Tea". I decided to kind of combine them with my own twists.  
> I worked really hard on this, and I am pretty happy with the result! I hope you enjoy.


End file.
